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TIP: EAT MORE TO BUILD, BUT NOT THAT MUCH MORE

01dragonslayer

01dragonslayer

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ARE YOU TAKING "YOU GOTTA EAT BIG TO GET BIG" TOO FAR?​

Most men like to eat, and eat a lot. So it's easy to go crazy with a calorie surplus when the focus is on muscle gains. But there's a difference between eating enough to fuel workouts, recovery, and hypertrophy, and eating so much that you look more like a fat guy with decent traps than a muscular lifter.

Big arms don't count if three inches of that bigness is comprised of flab. And if you have a growing gut, it's safe to say that you've greatly exceeded the caloric surplus you need to optimally fuel the muscle-building process. You're just layering on stubborn fat deposits and maybe even stretching out the skin permanently, not building muscle.

Worst Case Scenario​

What's the worst case scenario? You develop anabolic resistance: the impaired ability to build muscle caused by excess calorie consumption over time. It starts with insulin resistance, segues into leptin resistance, and when full-blown it manifests into excess fat gain, loss of the "pump" when training, stagnated strength gains, inflammation, and even low libido. Losing the excess fat after each mass phase gets tougher and tougher, too, and soon you have that high-belly pregnant look that takes years off your life.

SOLUTION​

Roughly a few hundred calories over maintenance is all you really need to fuel muscle gains. Do it for a few weeks, then adjust as needed. Think bodybuilding, not belly-building. Use photos, measurements, and the mirror to judge progress, not just the scale. Use targeted workout nutrition like Surge® Workout Fuel to add this extra fuel, not candy bars and fast food. Food quality matters.

Reality Check​

Many lifters get tripped up by this mistake because they're copying the diet of their favorite bodybuilder or hypertrophied action movie star. The problem? Well, most people don't have the genetics of a pro, they don't do the marathon workouts of a pro, and they're not using the drugs the pros are using. All of those things add leeway to the diet. The pros can get away with crazy diets (at least for a few years) because of the drugs. You can't. Follow their muscle gain diets and you'll get fat and wreck your health. You're smarter than that.
 
01dragonslayer said:

ARE YOU TAKING "YOU GOTTA EAT BIG TO GET BIG" TOO FAR?​

Most men like to eat, and eat a lot. So it's easy to go crazy with a calorie surplus when the focus is on muscle gains. But there's a difference between eating enough to fuel workouts, recovery, and hypertrophy, and eating so much that you look more like a fat guy with decent traps than a muscular lifter.

Big arms don't count if three inches of that bigness is comprised of flab. And if you have a growing gut, it's safe to say that you've greatly exceeded the caloric surplus you need to optimally fuel the muscle-building process. You're just layering on stubborn fat deposits and maybe even stretching out the skin permanently, not building muscle.

Worst Case Scenario​

What's the worst case scenario? You develop anabolic resistance: the impaired ability to build muscle caused by excess calorie consumption over time. It starts with insulin resistance, segues into leptin resistance, and when full-blown it manifests into excess fat gain, loss of the "pump" when training, stagnated strength gains, inflammation, and even low libido. Losing the excess fat after each mass phase gets tougher and tougher, too, and soon you have that high-belly pregnant look that takes years off your life.

SOLUTION​

Roughly a few hundred calories over maintenance is all you really need to fuel muscle gains. Do it for a few weeks, then adjust as needed. Think bodybuilding, not belly-building. Use photos, measurements, and the mirror to judge progress, not just the scale. Use targeted workout nutrition like Surge® Workout Fuel to add this extra fuel, not candy bars and fast food. Food quality matters.

Reality Check​

Many lifters get tripped up by this mistake because they're copying the diet of their favorite bodybuilder or hypertrophied action movie star. The problem? Well, most people don't have the genetics of a pro, they don't do the marathon workouts of a pro, and they're not using the drugs the pros are using. All of those things add leeway to the diet. The pros can get away with crazy diets (at least for a few years) because of the drugs. You can't. Follow their muscle gain diets and you'll get fat and wreck your health. You're smarter than that.
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Completely agree with this. The whole eat 8 meals per day at an absurd calorie load is gonna make the average guy fat as hell. Yea, you’ll gain some lean mass, but you’ll pack the fat on as well. Besides, eating all that food makes you absolutely miserable and it’s probably not that good for your overall health. Slight surplus. Slow and steady is a much better approach for most guys.
 
Machforce1 said:
Completely agree with this. The whole eat 8 meals per day at an absurd calorie load is gonna make the average guy fat as hell. Yea, you’ll gain some lean mass, but you’ll pack the fat on as well. Besides, eating all that food makes you absolutely miserable and it’s probably not that good for your overall health. Slight surplus. Slow and steady is a much better approach for most guys.
Click to expand...
A few weeks ago I decided to try something like this article said. I’m planning on eating 2000 calories a day, something like 60% protein 30% carbs and 10 % fats, not exactly sure on amounts, but try it, see what comes of it and adjust as needed. I’ll be bumping my trt from 112 mg to 250 . I’ve been in a calorie deficit,so the 2 k will be bump up from my 1700.
 
J.S. said:
A few weeks ago I decided to try something like this article said. I’m planning on eating 2000 calories a day, something like 60% protein 30% carbs and 10 % fats, not exactly sure on amounts, but try it, see what comes of it and adjust as needed. I’ll be bumping my trt from 112 mg to 250 . I’ve been in a calorie deficit,so the 2 k will be bump up from my 1700.
Click to expand...
That's a lot of protein! :)
 
In general i suggest raising calories (and macros proportionally) a few hundred a day depending on how big the guy is and then raising when gains stop happening.
Been a long time since i have heard people talk of just stuffing yourself as much as possible.
 

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